Unloading



Feb. 27, 1940. E. JQBELL 2,191,436

' UNLOADING, COUNTING, AND STACKING MECHANISM Original Filed May 6, 19353 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TUR. EDW/N J. 8.54;;

' MMAMYLMA 'AmRNEYs.

Feb. 27, 1940. E. J. BELL 3 UNLOADING, COUNTING, AND STACKING MECHANISMOriginal Filed may 6, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENIUR. EDWIN J. BELL:

Y A TYURNEYS.

Feb. 27, 1940. E. J. BELL 2,191,436

UNLOADING, COUNTING, AND STACKING MECHANISM Original Filed May 6, 1935 3Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. DW/N J BELL.

/ ATTORNEYS.

Patented Feb. 27, 1940 COUNTING, AND' MECHANISM Edwin .1. Bell, Oshkosh,

UNLOADING,

poration of Wisconsin Original application! May 6, 1935, Serial N0;

S GKI G Wis,assignor to The -Bell Machine Company, Oshkosh, Wis.,aco1

20,027. Divided. andthis application March-'- 14,1938, Serial No.195,924

17 Claims. (o1. 7226+!) invention relates to improvements .in unloading,counting, and stacking mechanism usable in machines for themanufacturing 013 a a variety of products but having particular .appli 5,cationto a match book machine. The'invention will be described'illustratively from the standpoint of a match book machine. In thepreferred embodiment of the invention the devices to be unloaded areassembled on a l0 conceyor chain and it is broadly the purpose of y thepresent invention toaccomplish-this simply and economically by movingthe books alternately in opposite directions to the stacking device andone at a time to the. folding mechanism D and preferably taking thebooks simultaneously from different flights of the assembly conveyor and.l delivering them simultaneously to successive posi-, tions on astacking conveyor, the'entire operation being preferably continuous.Other objects will appear in more detail from the following disclosure.

The present application is a division of my application No. 20,027 filedMay 6, 1935, Patent No. 2,137,072, Nov. 15,1938, and entitled Match'book machines.

In the drawings: I

Figure l is a front elevation of a machine embodying the presentinvention, omittingv those conventional portions thereof .Which'relateto the application of striking paint to the otherwise. I complete books,and the subsequent drying of the paint. W

Figure 2 is aplan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. l. g I

Figure, 3 is, a view showing in plan on-anen mechanism to which theclaims of the" present application are primarily directedj Figure 4 is afragmentary detailin side elevation of the cam actuated mechanism foroperating the unloading fingers.

Figure 5 is a detail view taken 'in section on line 5-5 of Fig. 3'. 1

Figure 6 is a detail view taken in section on line 8 6 of Fig.3. 7 IFigure 7 is a diagrammatic view showingthe v.liiter the blanks areassembled cover stock and delivered to the chain B the covers are foldedover the blanks and stapled or o relativepositions iof sonie o f themajor portions "attire-apparatus. I

Like parts areidentified thesame reference characters-throughout theseveral views. I .I shall first referbriefly tothe general organ-{n5izationofjth'e machine asdescribed in my parent 1 application aboveidentified, and follow thiswith a detailed description of vthe componentparts pertinent specifically .to the present invention.

The previously manufactured match combs are gl.)

inserted, in pairs into the two magazines genericallydesignatedbyreferencecharacter A and illustrated in Figs. 1,- 2 and. 7.

- From each such magazine successivepairs of Y match combs aredischargedinto the feeding andiulo cut-off mechanisms generically designated ,by'

reference character 13,. by which match book blanks are successivelysevered from the leading ends of thesuccessively fed match comb pairs.

In the meantime the cover stock blanks piled- 20 in the cover stockmagazines generically designated by. reference .charactenc arebeingdelivered a 'matchblank feederfE'periodically inserts each successive.match blankyintothe folded coverni .stock, and delivers these assembledparts toethe.

conveyor chain Y v .It can conveniently be noted in Fig. 7', whereinfeeder loads the assembled parts into the inter- .vening spaces. 'Thechain. is moved stepby step,

two spaces at a time and dwells to permit the 7 loading operation abovedescribed and the un-12135 loading operation with which the presentinvention is particularly concerned.

stitched to retain them, thestriker paint is applied and allowed todry'on the portion ofthe I chain which-is conventional and is not hereillus-f larged scale the stacking, counting, and discharge 'Htrated' 2Finally, the chainreturnsthefinished product I to the discharge portionof the machine where the unloader and stacking Y mechanism genericallydesignated by reference' 'character G, nests t'o- I gether the finishedbooks; compacts them ina sta'ck and delivers counted-units forpackaginga The unloading point is immediately adjacent the point wherethe chain is again charged with as-- sembled cover stock and matchcomb'blanks. i "Having indicated the general organization, of

the ma chine, I shall now describe particularly the f the foldeddelivery portion thereof with which the present application is primarilyconcerned.

The conveyor In the preferred embodiment of the invention conveyorcomprises a chain, each .link carrying a receptacle Hi8; While I drivethe chain at severalpoints in actual practice, it is only necessaryinthe present case to show one drive. main drive shaft l5 carriesahelical cam I3! coacting with the succesive studs or teeth 132 of thecrown wheels Hi3. Crown wheel M3 is mounted on a shaft ills whichprojects at therear of the table and carries a sprocket I35 over whichoperates the driving chain E36 leading to sprocket l3! and shaft E33.This shaftin turn carries the main driving sprocket l 39 over which thecon- I veyor F passes as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and '7. A similarsprocket Md spaced to the left of sprocket use is an idler,..and theloaded chain after passing ove sprocket i iii has a flight extendingdownwardly around a guide it! and thencehas another flight extendingupwardly over sprocket i33 to provide a bight at the unloadingstationshereinafter to be described. The empty chain then passes beneath anidler guide sprocket M3 to the loading points.

The unloader One of the unloading stations islocated where thedownwardly descending night of conveyor l passes through the opening litin the machine bed. The other unloading station is located where theflight of the conveyor F emerges from the opening are in the In chinebed. The arrangement is such that at each dwell of the conveyor chainalternately different receptacles Hi8 thereof will be at the level ofthe machine bed at the respective unloading stations.

Leading from each" unloading station-is an arcuate match bookguide orchannel just wide enough to receive the finished match book as it isdelivered on edge from the chain. The channel l'll leading from thedownward flight of the chain is of slightly'shorter radius than channelH8, so that the delivery ends of the respective channels are spaced byapproximately the thick- -ness of a single'match book for delivery, oftheir respective books into different consecutive spaces providedbetween consecutive spacer bars il -Q on the cross conveyor ltd.Associated with each of the channels or guideways ill and illl is ayieldable retarder lill in the form of a spring which slows up anyunduly rapid motion of the respective books and forces each bookv to theinner faceof its guiding channel for proper delivery into the space nextadjacent the dividing bar 9'59 with which the inner side of the channelis registered at any given operation.

The means for propelling the match books from receptacles Hit of themain conveyor to the proper spaces in the cross conveyor comprise theejectors or unloading arms I83 and tilt, thelatter being slightlyelongated because of the greater radiusv of the guide channel Hill withwhich it coacts. The ends of these arms'are bifurcated to 'be receivedover the match hook retaining clips ill! of the receptacles ice onconveyor F. Arms M3 and 84 are mounted on rock shafts lSl'land 585respectively for oscillation. They are normally retracted to the dottedline positions 1 indicated in Fig. 3" and remain retracted during eachadvance of the conveyor over the sprockets Hi0 and i559. During thedwell of the conveyor F the arms areactuated rapidly to eject booksretracted position.

from the receptacles registered with the arms at each of the unloadingstations and to propel these books into the cross conveyor in oppositedirections, so that the smaller end of one book will lie opposite thelarger ends of the adjacent books on the cross conveyor.

'I'herbight in he conveyorhas a two-fold object. The hooks or bundlesentering the bight are quarter turned so that the sides previouslyoccupying substantially horizontal positions become vertically disposed.Therefore the ejectors deliver the books or bundles to the crossconveyor on edge'with reference to the surfaces which formerly restedupon the feeding conveyor F, and

the pairs of bundles simultaneously transferred to the receiving orcross conveyor from opposite sides of the blght will have these surfacesfacing in the direction of cross conveyor movement. In other .words, thesurfaces of both books or bundles which formerly constituted the bearingsurfaces. will-both face in the same direction on the receivingconveyor, although the bundles of the respective pairs are reversed endto end.

This is an important result if the books or bundles have one smooth andone irregular or shouldered surface. Match books and other articlessimilarly packaged are usually smooth on one side and shouldered on. theother, and if the shouldered portions of successive books are 0pposedthey. are liable to interlock in a magazine" and prevent successfuldeliveries of one package at a time.

The other result attained by providing a bight in the feeding conveyoris the facility with which .two oscillatory sweeps may transfer books orbundles from opposite sides of the eight and deliver them tothereceiving conveyor from opposite sides of the latter.

To actuate the arms, the supporting rock shafts I55 and H36 areinterconnected by gearing E31 and operated through rack H38 and pinion889 from a cam illll' mounted on the main drive shaft 65.

.The cam groove l9! is concentric with the shaft 45 throughout a majorportion of its pe-- riphery to hold arms its and Hi l in their normallyretracted positions aforesaid. There is also a slight concentric portionof the cam groove at Hill which causes a very brief period of dwell atthe moment of delivery of the respective match books into theirappropriate spaces in the cross conveyor Mill in order to make sure thattheir speed of delivery to the cross conveyor will not cause them topass beyond it. Rack I38 carries the usual cam follower roller at I92and may conveniently be guided on the maindrive shaft 415 as shown inFig. 4.

The cross conveyor I88 is in continuous operation, being driven from.the main drive shaft 45 through gears 19 i, 595, chain Hit, and shaftit! as shownin Figs. 1, 3 and 5. The conveyor I823 moves adjacent thecounting and stacking table 2% upon which there is a curved guide Zlllfor forcing the match books into a-more compact "relation before theirdelivery to the discharge movement of the roller 209. about shaft theroller about its fulcrum 208, whereby to sweep the over the stackingtable 200 swung to a position where rearwardly by the biasingrevolves onarm 210 about the axis of the continually rotating shaft 2| l.

Shaft 2 receives motion from the cross conveyor drive shaft I91 throughthe bevel gearing at 2l2, jack shaft 213, and chain 2M.

- During the dwell of the counting and stacking arm 205 the movement ofcross conveyor I80 therebeneath will cause the accumulation of apredetermined number of match books within the range of movement of thearm 205. The timing accomplished by the driving connections to shaft 2is such that when a predetermined number of match books lie within the209 will strike arm 205 to oscillate it match books'from the crossconveyor laterally books will be compacted owing to the constrictingaction of the guide member 20! on'said table,

In the final position of arm 205 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, thestack of match books will have been'delivered into the mouth of thedischarge chute 202 for boxing.

The range of outward movement of the arm 205 is determined by the radiusand position of 2 the roller 209 ultimately clears the arm, thusallowing the arm to be retracted by its biasing weight.

During its outward oscillation, the arm" 205 passes beneath the fixedarm 219 and, in riding on the upper surface of guide member 2!", the bar205 lifts the switching pawl 220 to the dotted line position shown inFig. 6 and passes therebeneath. After the passage of the arm 205 saidfigure and hence, after the roller 209 has it clears the arm, and

the arm is drawn weight or rope 206, the arm will ride on to the uppersurface of the switching pawl 220 and hence will be carried by -member210 across the match books already advancing' on the continuously movingconveyor the upper surface of the fixed I80. gravity to the The stackingarm 205 thereupon falls by position shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 6, where itis aligned with the match books to sweep them from the cross conveyorwhen the arm is next engaged by the revolving roller 209. I claim: 1

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a feedingconveyor and a receiving conveyor movable along lines substantially atright angles to each other, the feeding conveyor having portionstraveling in opposite directions on opposite sides of the lineofmovement of the receiving conveyor, means for actuating said conveyorssimultaneously step by step,

curved guides disposed in the angles formed by said conveyors onopposite sides of the receiving conveyor; oscillatory sweeps cooperativewith said guides to remove the bundles from the feeding conveyor anddeposit them upon the receiving conveyor,

and means for oscillating said sweeps in the intervals betweensuccessive conveyor moments.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with conveyormeans providing spaced article supports, .of a pair of arms mounted foroscillation in opposite directions about adjacent axes, the free ends ofthe arms being movable from points near said supports to points at whichthe free ends of thearms approach each other, a cross conveyor passingsaid Llas't nrentioned point and provided with succesv tween consecutivesweep of arm 205" where the several In its revolution vcurved guides lin the f switching pawl drops to its full line position in sivepocketsadapted to receivearticles propelled by'said arms from said supports,guides extend-' ing beneath the paths of travelof the respective armsfrom the respective supports to points spaced along the path of movementof the cross conveyor at a distance equal to the spacing bepockets ofsaid cross conveyor, whereby the articles propelled by said arms will bedelivered to consecutive pocketsfrom opposite directions, and means forperiodicallyremoving from the cross conveyor segregated stacks of sucharticles, said last mentioned means comprising.

a restricting throat for compacting the articles in the course oftheirtravel therethrough, an arm for sweeping the articles from said, crossconveyor. to said throat, and means from the feeding conveyor to thereceiving conveyor, and means for simultaneously oscillating said sweepsin the intervals between conveyor movements, said guides'having theirdelivery end portions offset with reference to each other along thesides of the receiving conveyor, whereby to deliver bundles in pairswith their ends oppositely disposed.

4. In a device of the character described, the

combination of a feeding conveyor andxa transvided with bundle'holdingand spacing projecversely movable receiving conveyor, each protionsadapted to permit lateral insertion and delivery of bundles, means foractuating said conveyors simultaneously in step-by-step movements,curved guides leading from one side of the feeding conveyor to oppositesides of the receiving conveyor, oscillatory sweeps operable uponbundles in registry with said guides to transfer them from the feedingconveyor to the receiving conveyor, and means for simultaneouslyoscillating said sweeps in the intervals between conveyor movements,said guides having their delivery end portions offset with reference-toeach other along the sides of the receiving conveyor, whereby to deliverbundles in pairs with their ends oppositely disposed, said feedingconveyor having a bight within which the sweeps operate upon bundleshaving likeside faces opposed, whereby the transferred bundles aredelivered to the receiving conveyor with said sides facing in the samedirection.

5. In a device of the character described, the

combination with a conveyor provided with work receptacles, of anunloading table having spaced unloading stations, guide means providinga.

bight in the conveyor at said table and-arranged for the registration ofalternate receptacles with said'stations, a pair of unloaders movableover the surface of said table from said stations toward anintermediate'nesting point, and means... for removing work from saidnesting point.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination with aconveyor means having work holding receptacles and providing separateflights, of unloading stations individual tothe respective flights,means for intermittently actuating said conveyor to register receptacleswith said stations for the, unloading of work therefrom, a stackingconveyor intermediate said flights, ejector arms pivoted intermediatesaid flights and having delivery portions movable from said stations tosaid stacking conveyor, guide means on said stacking conveyor definingwork receiving spaces thereon, and guide means associated with saidejectors and registering with alternate spaces of said stackingconveyor.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination with aconveyor having work receiving means, of an arm movable across saidconveyor in the plane of work carried thereby, stacking means arrangedto receive the Work displaced from said conveyor in the movement of saidarm, means biasing said arm for its'return to a normally retractedposition, and an arm actuating member revoluble on a path intersectingthe path of said arm and the frequency and path of movement of which aredeterminative of the time and extent of operation of said arm.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination of a bundlefeeding conveyor pr vided with work holding pockets opening laterallytothe margin of the conveyor and a transversely disposed receivingconveyor having latorally opening work receiving spaces and interveningpartitions, said bundle feeding conveyor having a portion extendingperpendicularly to the plane of its other portions along one side of theline of movement of the receiving conveyor, an arcuate bundle guide inthe angle between said perpendicularly extending portion and thereceiving conveyor, means for actuating said first conveyor step bystep, said guide being positioned to register at one end with a pocketof the feeding conveyor and at its other end with a space of thereceiving conveyor and an oscillatory sweep cooperative with said guideto transfer bundles from the feeding conveyor to the receiving conveyorin the intervals between the step movements of said conveyors, wherebythe sides of the bundles in contact with the feeding conveyor will bedisposed perpendicularly with reference to the bundle supporting surfaceof the receiving conveyor.

9. In a match book machine, the combination with an assembly conveyorhaving match book receptacles, of guide means for said conveyorproviding a series of spaced conveyor flights, a cross conveyor disposedon a line passing between said flights, ejectors operable from saidflights to said cross conveyor in opposite directions, means foractuating said ejectors for transfer of match books from the respectiveflights in opposite directions to cross the conveyor, guideways f orcontrolling the delivery of said match books by said ejectors to assurethe positioning of the books in alternation on the nesting conveyor, andanother ejector movable across said nesting conveyor and of sufficientlength to simultaneously sweep therefrom a predetermined number of matchbooks.

10. In a match book machine, the combination with an assembly conveyorhaving match book receptacles, of guide means for said conveyorproviding a series of spaced conveyor flights, a cross conveyor disposedon a line passing between said flights ejectors operable from saidflights to said cross conveyor in opposite directions, means foractuating said ejectors ior'transfer of match books from the respectiveflights in opposite directions to the cross conveyor, guideways forcontrolling the delivery of said match books by said ejectors to assurethe positioning of the books in alternation on the nesting conveyor, andanother ejector movable across said nesting conveyor and of suificientlength to simultaneously sweep therefrom a predetermined number of matchbooks, said last mentioned ejector having means for reciprocating it,and means for lifting it from the plane of match books on the nestingconveyor in one direction of reciprocation whereby to pass over thebooks accumulated for delivery.

11. In a match book machine, the combination with an assembly conveyorhaving match book receptacles, of guide means for said con veyorproviding a series of spaced conveyor flights, a cross conveyor disposedon a line passing between said flights, ejectors operable from saidflights to said cross conveyor in opposite directions, means foractuating said ejectors for" transfer of match books from the respectiveflights in opposite directions to the cross conveyor, guideways forcontrolling the delivery of said match books by said ejectors to assurethe positioning of the books in alternation on the nesting conveyor, andanother ejector movable across said nesting conveyor and of suflicientlength to simultaneously sweep therefrom a predetermined number of matchbooks, and another guide means for the match books acted on by the lastmentioned ejector, said other guide means being form d with a throatportion to compact said match books in a stack in the course of theirfinal ejection.

12. In a device of the character described, the combination with aconveyor provided With work receptacles, of conveyor guide meansproviding a bight in the conveyor, means disposed adjacent to the nightof the conveyor and constituting a nesting point for the work deliveredfrom said receptacles, a pair of work unloaders movable from receptaclesat opposite sides of said bight toward said intermediate nesting pointand including work propelling means for delivering work from spacedreceptacles of said conveyor in opposite directions to said nestingpoint, means for the actuation of said unloaders, and means for removingwork from said nesting point.

-13. In a device of the character described, the combination With aconveyor having spaced flight portionsand provided with workreceptacles, of a cross conveyor disposed adjacent to said flights andprovided with work receiving pockets opening in opposite directions, apair of unloaders movable to and fro between the respective flights ofsaid first conveyor and alternate pockets of said cross conveyor, saidunloaders including means for propelling work from the respectiveflights of the first conveyor for delivery in opposite directions intothe pockets of the cross conveyor to be nested thereon, and means forpropolling-said first conveyor to register alternate receptacles withsaid unloaders, and means for synchronously advancing the secondconveyor to remove from the path of said unloaders pockets previouslyfilled by nested work and to position unfilled pockets in the path ofsaid unloaders.

14. In a device of the character described, the combination with aconveyor provided with Work receptacles and guide means for saidconveyor defining two spaced flight portions, of a cross conveyor havingwork receiving pockets and disposed transversely and extending laterallyfrom one side of the spaced flight portions of the first conveyor,arcuate feedway means extending from the respective flights of the firstconveyor to opposite sides of the crossconveyor in're'gis trywith-successive pockets thereof, the guide means of the first'conveyorbeing of such dimen sionsasto register alternate :pockets of the first.conveyor with differing fee'dway means in the advance of, the firstconveyor,means for theintermittentadvance of the. first conveyor. toefiect I such registration and a pair or" oscillatory unloaders vhavingfnlcrums in close proximity and substantially. in line with the path ofthe cross conveyor, said unloaders being movable along said feedwaysand'provided with means for the transfer of work from the alternatereceptaclesof the first conveyor in opposite directions into the removalof work from a predetermined number of vsaid pockets, a tableadjacentsaid cohveyor over which said armj swings for the delivery of such work,and guide'means underlying the path of-movementof. said arm. oversaid'table and adapted to confine Lthework propelled by said arm, saidguide means being'disposed at a progressively decreasing radius fromtheaxis upon-which said arm swings, whereby to force 16. In a device of thecharacter described,the

A combination with a vnesting conveyor having means vproviding spacedWork pockets, of' adelivering arm movable across said conveyor to sweepthe work from a predetermined number of said pockets,--; means forintermittently aotuating said arm in'a work delivering direction, ivmeans for the return of said arm out of the path of the work delivered,and a table adjacent said conveyor over which the delivery of the workis effected, said table having guide means for pro-r,

gressively confining the work in the course of its delivery over thetable, whereby to eliminate the spaces originally provided between thework in said pockets.. g

. l 5 into intimate contact the items of work delivered from spacedpockets by said arm. A

17. In a device of the character described, the I combination of abundle conveyor having. portions guided for movement in oppositedirections substantiallyv perpendicularly to other portions of theconveyor; whereby to quarter turn the bundles traversing the bightformed by said erpendicular portions, means foractuati'ng the conveyorstep; by step, each step corresponding in 25 length to the spaceoccupied by' two bundles; and 0 transfer means, operative at oppositesides of the sideslthe'reofo v EDWIN J. BELL.

. "bightin the intervals' between step-by-step move-J merits, to removebundles from the con'veyor and deliver them; to .a receiving device fromopposite 30" v v CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. Patent 1&0 2,l9l,h56.February 27, 19140.

EDWIN J. BELL. V I It is hereby certified that error a cpears in theprinted specification of the above numbered patent requiring correctionas follows: Page LL,.first column, line 58, claim 9, for the words"cross the conveyor" read the cross conveyor; and that the said LettersPatent should-be read with this correction therein that the same mayconform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 2nd day of Apr-i1, 'A. D. l9LL0.

Henry Van Arsdale,

(Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

